First hybrid private-public 5G mobile network in Europe at the Nardò Technical Center (Images: presse.porsche.de)

Porsche Engineering and Vodafone Business set up Europe’s first hybrid private-public 5G mobile network at the Nardò Technical Center (NTC) for the development of intelligent and connected vehicles.  The new mobile communications infrastructure will enable 4G and 5G coverage across the entire test centre, thereby, automating driving processes. 

The Nardò test site in southern Italy is where Stuttgart-based Porsche Engineering and Vodafone Business have erected Europe’s first hybrid private-public 5G mobile network. The NTC underscores its role in the global automotive industry. The role being of a technology partner for the integrated development and validation of intelligent and connected vehicles. According to Firmenwagen, a German trade magazine for fleet operators and frequent drivers, the new cellular infrastructure covers an area of ​​over 700 hectares with more than 20 routes for high-performance tests in the Puglia region of Southern Italy.

With Vodafone Business’ 5G solution, NTC intends to enable its customers to efficiently develop and validate a wide range of future mission-critical applications – from new functions in the areas of connectivity, vehicle-to-infrastructure and vehicle-to-vehicle communication, to functions of highly automated and autonomous driving. As a private-public mobile network, the new system has a hybrid infrastructure, in which a private network is fully integrated into Vodafone’s public mobile network.

“5G private cellular networks can serve as a stepping stone for businesses, enabling them to evolve the way they do business”

Vinod Kumar, CEO, Vodafone Business

High-speed 5G public network for customers

NTC sources claim, that the local population can benefit from the availability of the fast public 5G network, while at the same time, NTC customers can use an exclusive private network that has high data security standards. In addition to the new mobile network, the NTC now also offers its customers a high-performance 1 Gbit/s connection. This enables a fast and direct connection to the cloud in order to implement even more efficient data-driven development work in a global network.

“5G private cellular networks can serve as a stepping stone for businesses, enabling them to evolve the way they do business,” says Vinod Kumar, CEO of Vodafone Business. He further adds, “In Nardò, the new technology enables a facility that resembles a true ‘smart city’, with seamless coverage both inside and outside the premises for the next generation of applications that will transform traffic and mobility. We look forward to supporting the team in Nardò in aligning themselves to the issues of the future and unlocking further potential with some of our latest technologies.”.

NTC’s 5G evolution

The new network represents another important chapter in the future-oriented development of the test centre. Since the acquisition of the NTC by Porsche in 2012, continuous investments were made in the modernisation and technological advancement of the proving ground. In addition to investments in workshops, safety systems and other routes, the famous circuit with a length of 12, 6 kilometres and a diameter of four kilometres, completely renovated and equipped with fiber optic cables for fast data transmission and various options for traffic signals to validate automated driving. NTC’s new 5G network is part of a wider collaboration between Porsche and Vodafone, which led to the deployment of a standalone 5G network at the Porsche development centre in Weissach, Germany in August 2021.

The Press release by Porsche cites, that with the 5G cellular network, the following deliverables are aimed for:

  • Real-time communication shall be made possible.
  • With expectations of reduced delays
  • Increased bandwidth
  • Improved security and reliability
  • Reduced deployment time.

Meeting the demands of future mobility

A total of nine base stations for the connection to the mobile network are connected via a fiber optic backbone to ensure high standards of data security and available bandwidth. The mobile network enables controlled hybrid access that can be used for both public SIM cards and private SIM cards managed by the NTC. Complex traffic situations are to be tested. 5G technology helps improve vehicle connectivity through multi-level interactions between back-end services, roadside infrastructure and other vehicles. This enables complex traffic situations to be tested.

“At our test site in Nardò, our goal is always to advance technologies so that our customers can successfully meet the increasing demands of future mobility,” says Peter Schäfer, CEO of Porsche Engineering and Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Nardò Technical Center. “With the new 5G network, the NTC now offers its customers an even better infrastructure to develop and test intelligent, autonomous and connected vehicles,” elaborates Schäfer further.

NTC’s new 5G network is part of a wider collaboration between Porsche and Vodafone, which aims to accelerate the European expansion of cellular high-performance and 5G implementation. The success of this endeavour remains to be seen and accessed in the upcoming future.